This chapter challenges dominant models of addiction by proposing a more integrated and culturally responsive framework. You will learn how traditional approaches that frame addiction as either a brain disease or socially conditioned behaviour is reductive. Instead, the chapter centers unresolved trait anxiety—a persistent, biologically rooted form of emotional dysregulation—as key to addictive behaviour. It distinguishes between “addiction-proper”, involving irreversible neurological damage, and the more common “dysfunctional decision-maker”, whose addiction stems from modifiable affective patterns, with a focus on the latter. Drawing on neuroscience, philosophy, and neuroeconomics, this chapter reframes addiction as a disorder of affect regulation. While pharmacological and cognitive therapies are important, you will learn why they are deemed insufficient alone. The chapter introduces Culture-as-Interaction (CAI) as an emotional regulation strategy, with Culture-as-Practice (CAP) acting as therapeutic scaffolding. It distinguishes between two types of discomfort during abstinence and their distinct regulation strategies, highlighting how CAP provides stabilizing emotional scaffolding to reshape internal processes, strengthening autonomy and resilience. Ultimately, this chapter advocates for an integrated approach that combines medical and social models, reduces stigma, and fosters sustainable recovery through emotionally meaningful cultural practices.